"Eileen Gu is the first action-sports athlete to win three medals at the same Olympics, making her one of the most popular skiers in the entire world. And invoking debate over Gu’s inclusion in the best Olympic performances of all time. However, what she accomplishes on the slopes has been overshadowed by her choice to wear the colors of her mother’s homeland—China." - Levi reddy, 7th grade
Eileen Gu is the first action-sports athlete to win three medals at the same Olympics, making her one of the most popular skiers in the entire world. And invoking debate over Gu’s inclusion in the best Olympic performances of all time. However, what she accomplishes on the slopes has been overshadowed by her choice to wear the colors of her mother’s homeland—China.
The native born Californian switched her sport’s allegiance from the US to China in 2019, despite unanswered questions regarding her full citizenship and whether she gave up her US passport. Gu states that her choice to change her sports nationality was aided by her goal to inspire young girls in China, where there are significantly less female role models displayed in the media.
“When I’m in China, I’m Chinese,” she told the Olympic Channel in 2020. “When I’m in the US, I'm American.”
Many nonwhite immigrants, in particular Asian Americans and African Americans, are subject to racist notions that prevent them from being truly “American,” but face the double bind of being required to fit in to not be considered an outsider.
“Therefore Asian Americans are considered perpetual foreigners,” says Russel Jeung, an Asian American Studies professor at San Francisco State University, and the founder of Stop A.A.P.I. Hate. Gu is peculiar because she chose to compete for a country that is seen as inferior to the West.
Immigration is not uncommon in the athletic world. Elite athletes have many times throughout the past crossed territories to compete for other countries. Nationality changes are increasingly displayed at the Olympics; Madison Woo for example, an Asian American who competed under the Chinese flag for ice hockey. So what about Gu has caused such scrutiny of her character?
In most cases, when a country does not pick a competitor out of a pool of choices, that person will try their luck in a different place. Gu was qualified for both the US and Chinese teams which perhaps amplified the feelings of betrayal and hate in the United States, while most other nation-hopping athletes just face pity. Gu’s work as a model also makes her more widely-known than other athletes and a bigger target for persistent patriots who attack her for “letting down” her birthplace.
Gu’s decision to compete for China also means she is a hot commodity for the wealthy mainland, causing the Asian American to almost solely be referred to as Chinese. Brand endorsements from all over the globe have attached themselves to the budding superstar and Gu’s looks, gravity-defying ski tricks, and her influencing power make her even more appealing. The incoming Stanford student and fashion model is ranked on the Shanghai-based market at earning more than $34.1 million a year, all from the sponsoring of over two dozen brands.
Though Gu presents herself as a global ambassador for winter sports, the athlete has a very non-controversial public persona. Her inspiring gold and silver medals make for a rapidly rising soar of popularity but in a tightly restricted nation, even a simple mistake, or a difference in opinion could get her erased from all media coverage. Gu is a gifted person, who like many others, has the opportunity to engage with two countries rich with technology, resources and most certainly, racial turmoil.
“Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and expert on China at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, DC, says Gu’s story shows that the complexities of the globalized world don’t always line up neatly with geopolitical lenses,” according to the AP article, “Eileen Gu: Navigating two cultures, judged by both of them.”
Asian American identities will always have a difficult time fitting in with societal norms and Gu is witness to how harsh the world can truly be.
The native born Californian switched her sport’s allegiance from the US to China in 2019, despite unanswered questions regarding her full citizenship and whether she gave up her US passport. Gu states that her choice to change her sports nationality was aided by her goal to inspire young girls in China, where there are significantly less female role models displayed in the media.
“When I’m in China, I’m Chinese,” she told the Olympic Channel in 2020. “When I’m in the US, I'm American.”
Many nonwhite immigrants, in particular Asian Americans and African Americans, are subject to racist notions that prevent them from being truly “American,” but face the double bind of being required to fit in to not be considered an outsider.
“Therefore Asian Americans are considered perpetual foreigners,” says Russel Jeung, an Asian American Studies professor at San Francisco State University, and the founder of Stop A.A.P.I. Hate. Gu is peculiar because she chose to compete for a country that is seen as inferior to the West.
Immigration is not uncommon in the athletic world. Elite athletes have many times throughout the past crossed territories to compete for other countries. Nationality changes are increasingly displayed at the Olympics; Madison Woo for example, an Asian American who competed under the Chinese flag for ice hockey. So what about Gu has caused such scrutiny of her character?
In most cases, when a country does not pick a competitor out of a pool of choices, that person will try their luck in a different place. Gu was qualified for both the US and Chinese teams which perhaps amplified the feelings of betrayal and hate in the United States, while most other nation-hopping athletes just face pity. Gu’s work as a model also makes her more widely-known than other athletes and a bigger target for persistent patriots who attack her for “letting down” her birthplace.
Gu’s decision to compete for China also means she is a hot commodity for the wealthy mainland, causing the Asian American to almost solely be referred to as Chinese. Brand endorsements from all over the globe have attached themselves to the budding superstar and Gu’s looks, gravity-defying ski tricks, and her influencing power make her even more appealing. The incoming Stanford student and fashion model is ranked on the Shanghai-based market at earning more than $34.1 million a year, all from the sponsoring of over two dozen brands.
Though Gu presents herself as a global ambassador for winter sports, the athlete has a very non-controversial public persona. Her inspiring gold and silver medals make for a rapidly rising soar of popularity but in a tightly restricted nation, even a simple mistake, or a difference in opinion could get her erased from all media coverage. Gu is a gifted person, who like many others, has the opportunity to engage with two countries rich with technology, resources and most certainly, racial turmoil.
“Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and expert on China at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, DC, says Gu’s story shows that the complexities of the globalized world don’t always line up neatly with geopolitical lenses,” according to the AP article, “Eileen Gu: Navigating two cultures, judged by both of them.”
Asian American identities will always have a difficult time fitting in with societal norms and Gu is witness to how harsh the world can truly be.